Tamperproof container

ABSTRACT

A tamperproof container is provided for products dangerous to children. The container has a safety cap which can only be removed after first squeezing an elliptical portion of the bottle or cap to thereby disengage mating lugs on the bottle and cap. The cap is provided with projections which appear to assist in removing the cap but rather inhibit such removal.

United States Patent [1 1 Dougherty, Sr.

[451 May 6, 1975 TAMPERPROOF CONTAINER Frank E. Dougherty, Sr., Mays Landing, NJ.

Assignee: Dougherty Brothers Company,

Buena, N.J.

Filed: Jan. 31, 1974 Appl. No.: 438,327

Inventor:

US. Cl. 215/221; 141/24 Int. Cl. 365d 55/02; B65d 85/56; A61j 1/00 Field of Search 215/9, 217-221;

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS Dougherty, Sr 215/9 Primary ExaminerGeorge T. Hall Attorney, Agent, or FirmSeidel, Gonda & Goldhammer [5 7 ABSTRACT A tamperproof container is provided for products dangerous to children. The container has a safety cap which can only be removed after first squeezing an elliptical portion of the bottle or cap to thereby disengage mating lugs on the bottle and cap. The cap is provided with projections which appear to assist in removing the cap but rather inhibit such removal.

11 Claims, 6 Drawing Figures TAMPERPROOF CONTAINER This invention is directed to a container with a safety cap to prevent children from having access to products in the container which may cause harm to the children or are of such a nature that it is desired that children not have ready access thereto. The products within the container may be any one of a wide variety of solid or liquid products including medicines, detergents, caustic products, etc. The container of the present invention is preferably of the general type disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,768,681 wherein the cap is removably coupled to the container by threads on the inner periphery of the cap and mating threads on the outer periphery of the neck portion of the container. In one embodiment, there is provided an integral cap and retainer. Lugs on the inner periphery of the retainer cooperate with lugs on the outer periphery of the neck portion of the container. The flexibility of the retainer permits it to be manually deformed by use of the thumb and forefinger to disengage the lugs and permit removal of the cap. In another embodiment, the retainer is separate from the cap and mounted on the neck of the container in a manner to prevent relative rotation. Lugs on the retainer cooperate with lugs on the cap to prevent the cap from rotating in a direction which permits removal of the cap.

In each embodiment, one of the cap and retainer are provided with radially outwardly directed projections immediately adjacent the lugs. The projections appear to be of assistance in removing the cap. Application of pressure on the projections has the opposite effect, namely in more firmly locking the cap so that it may not be removed.

The container may be of the type wherein a medicine dropper forms a part of the cap. Children frequently tamper with the flexible bulb portion of the medicine dropper whereby it is pulled from its mounting on the cap and thereby facilitates access to the contents of the container. If access can be attained in this manner, any foolproof relationship between the cap and the container has been circumvented. The present invention mounts the flexible bulb portion of a medicine dropper in a manner whereby a more positive grip is attained thereby substantially decreasing the ability of children to attain access to the contents of the container by pulling off the flexible bulb portion of the medicine dropper.

The structure of the present invention does not render the container pilfer-proof. Instead, the invention is a deterent to prevent small children from having access to the contents of the container merely by twisting the cap. The projections referred to above inhibit the tendency of rotating the container relative to the cap. In order to attain access to the contents of the container, it is necessary to deform the cap or retainer radially inwardly at a location which is approximately 90 from the above mentioned projections. This involves a certain amount of dexterity and the use of both hands which is not obvious to a child. The object of the present invention is accomplished in a manner which is simple, inexpensive and reliable.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a container with a safety cap wherein there is provided projections which falsely induce the child to apply force which inhibits unthreading of the cap relative to the container.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a container having a cap threadedly coupled thereto wherein means are provided to increase the difficulty in pulling off the flexible bulb of a medicine dropper.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a tamperproof container which is simple, inexpensive, and reliable while complying with the applicable statutes such as the Poison Prevention Packaging Act of 1970.

Other objects will appear hereinafter.

For purpose of illustrating the invention, there is shown in the drawings a form which is presently preferred; it being understood, however, that this invention is not limited to the precise arrangements and instrumentalities shown.

FIG. I is a partial perspective view of a container in accordance with the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a sectional view taken along the line 2-2 in FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a sectional view taken along the line 33 in FIG. 2.

FIG. 4 is a sectional view similar .to FIG. 3 but illustrating the relationship of components which permits unthreading of the cap relative to the container.

FIG. 5 is a view similar to FIG. 2 but illustrating another embodiment wherein the retainer is separate from the cap.

FIG. 6 is a view taken along the line 6-6 in FIG. 5.

Referring to the drawing in detail, wherein like numerals indicate like elements, there is shown in FIG. I a container is accordance with the present invention designated generally as 10. The upper end of the container 10 is provided with a neck 12 constituting an inlet and outlet to the container which is hermetically sealed by means of a cap 14.

The cap 14 has an end wall 16 and a generally cylindrical portion having threads 20 on its inner peripheral surface. The threads 20 mate with threads 18 on the outer peripheral surface of the neck 12. The container 10 may be made from any one of a wide variety of materials including glass, polymeric plastics such as polyethylene, etc. The cap 14 may be made from any one of a wide variety of materials including metals such as aluminum, a polymeric plastic such as polystyrene, etc. The cap 14 is preferably made from a material which is at least as hard as the material of the container 10.

In the embodiment illustrated in FIGS. 1-4, the cap 14 has a retainer 24 which is thinner than the remainder of the cap 14 so as to be more flexible. The retainer 24 is elliptical as shown more clearly in FIG. 3. Retainer 24 is preferably in the form of an integral, one piece, outwardly and depending skirt at the lower edge of the cap 14. Retainer 24 terminates close to the body portion 13 on container 10 to conceal structure to be described.

The retainer 24 is provided with radially inwardly directed lugs 26 and 28 at its minor diameter. Each of the lugs has an engaging face which lies along a radius at or is parallel to a radius immediately adjacent the minor diameter of retainer 24. Each of the lugs 26 and 28 has a cam surface which tapers radially outwardly from the engaging face thereof. Asimilar shaped lug 30 is provided on the outer periphery of neck 12 and has a face mating with a face on lug 26. A similar lug 32 is provided for mating relationship with lug 28.

The lugs 30 and 32 are diametrically opposite one another on the neck 12. Lugs 26 and 28 are diametrically opposite one another on the inner periphery of the retainer 24. The mating faces on the lugs 26, 30 and on the lugs 28, 32 prevent unthreading the cap 14.

A projection 34 is provided on the outer periphery of retainer 24 immediately adjacent and preferably partially overlapping the zone of lug 26. A similar diametrically opposite projection 36 is provided on the outer periphery of retainer 24 adjacent and preferably partially overlapping lug 28. The projections 34 and 36 are small, and are generally semicircular. In an operative embodiment, the projections 34 and 36 have a radius of about one-eighth of an inch. Each of the projections 34, 36 is rigid and this rigidity may be attained by making the lugs thicker than the thickness of the retainer 34. For example, lugs 34, 36 may be 1/16 of an inch thick while retainer 24 may have a thickness of a 32nd of an inch.

The purpose of the projections 34 and 36 is to induce someone trying to open the container to manipulate the projections 34 and 36. The only effective manipulation attained by contact of the projections 34 and 36 is to inhibit any separation of the mating faces on lugs 26 and 30 or the mating faces on lugs 28 and 32.

The projections 34 and 36 have a pain inducing effect on the hands and fingers of a child when the child tends to press radially inwardly on the projections 34 and 36. A similar effect is attained if the child attempts to rotate the cap 14 in a counterclockwise direction in FIG. 3 due to the slippery feel of the polymeric plastic material from which the cap 14 is made and the consequent contact of the fingers or hand with such projections 34 and 36. Hence, the projections 34 and 36 tend to cause a child to induce pressure in the wrong location whereby the cap 14 may not be removed and tend to inhibit the child from rotating cap 14 in a clockwise direction in FIG. 3, which direction is the direction for unthreading the cap 14 from the container 10.

In order to remove the cap 14, it is necessary to apply finger pressure such as by the thumb and forefinger in the direction of arrows 38 as shown in FIG. 4. Arrows 38 are directed radially inwardly at the major diameter of the elliptical retainer 24. Finger pressure in the direction of arrows 38 causes the lugs 26 and 28 to move radially outwardly until they disengage from the mating faces on the stationary lugs 30 and 32, respectively. Thereafter, finger pressure should be retained for a short period of time while rotating the cap 14 in a counterclockwise direction in FIG. 4 as indicated by arrow 39. When the elevation of lugs 26 and 28 is above the elevation of lugs 30 and 32, respectively, the finger pressure in the direction of arrows 38 may be released while continuing to rotate the cap 14.

The cap 14 may have a medicine dropper supported thereby and comprised mainly of the flexible bulb 40 and rigid dropper tube 48.

The'wall 16 of cap 14 is provided with an axial hole defining an inner rim which extends into a radially inwardly directed groove on the outer periphery of a thickened portion at the lower end of the flexible bulb 40. This results in a shoulder 42 overlying the upper surface of the wall 16 and a radially outwardly directed flange 44 beneath the wall 16.

The flange 44 extends radially outwardly for a greater distance than the shoulder 42. The flange 44 is readily deformable to form a seal between the wall 16 on the cap 14 and the upper edge of the neck 12 at the mouth thereof. Flange 44 is illustrated in FIG. 2 in its deformed state where a hermetic seal is attained. To accentuate this seal and to inhibit the ability of a child to pull on the bulb 40 until it is removed, the inner surface of the wall 16 on the cap 14 is provided with an annular axially directed bead 46 which is directly opposite to the end face of the neck 12 at the mouth thereof. In this manner, the flange 44 is subjected to an annular clamping force sufficient to deform the same and retard any tendency of the bulb 40 being removed by pulling on the same.

The dropper tube 48 may be integral with the bulb 40. Preferably, the dropper tube 48 is made as a separate component having a radially outwardly directed bead 50 at its upper end snap-fitted into a mating groove on the inner periphery of the thickened lower edge portion of the bulb 40. The dropper tube 48 may be circular or oval in cross section. Beneath the bead 50, the dropper tube 48 has a axially directed circular wall 51 in tight circumferential engagement with a mating wall on the inner periphery of the thickened portion at the lower end of the bulb 40. The distance across the inner periphery of the axial bore in the wall 16 on the cap 14 and the outer periphery of the bead 50 is substantially less than the thickness of the bulb 40 therebelow as shown in FIG. 2. The interrelationship of the components of the medicine dropper as shown in FIG. 2 minimizes the ability to pull the bulb 40 out of the assembled relationship shown.

In FIGS. 5 and 6, there is illustrated another embodiment of the present invention wherein container 10' is identical with that described above except as will be made clear hereinafter. Hence, like elements are provided with like numerals which have been primed.

In FIGS. 5 and 6, the retainer 24' is separate and independent from the cap 14'. The retainer 24' has a mounting portion 52 provided with a groove on its inner periphery. A radially outwardly directed bead 54 on the neck 12 of the container 10' is received or snapped into the groove on the inner periphery of the mounting portion 52. Portion 52 preferably is prevented from rotating relative to bead 54 such as by mating flats. A hermetic seal is attained between wall 16 and neck 12 by a deformable disc 56 fixed on the inner surface of wall 16'.

The lower edge of the cap 14' is below the upper edge of the retainer 24' as shown in Fig. 5. The lugs 30' and 32' are on the outer periphery of the cap 14. Lug 30 cooperates with lug 26' in the same manner as described above. Lug 28' cooperates with lug 32' in the same manner as described above. The elliptical nature of the retainer 24' is accentuated in FIG. 6. The container 10 is preferred because the lugs are concealed by the retainer 24 except for the gap 15 which is only about one-eighth inch.

In each embodiment, the minor diameter of the elliptical retainer 24 or 24' is greater than the diameter of the cap 14 or 14'. In each embodiment the retainer has a portion extending outwardly and an axially directed portion 25 or 25'. The lugs 26, 26', 28 and 28' extend in an axial direction for the full length of the respective portions 25,25 so as to be substantially thicker than the projections 34 and 36. The cam surfaces on the sets of mating lugs enables the cap 14 to be rethreaded on the neck 12. Where the retainer minor diameter is 1% inches, the major diameter may be as small as 1% inches.

The present invention may be embodied in other specific form without departing from the spirit or essential attributes thereof and, accordingly, reference should be made to the appended claims, rather than to the foregoing specification as indicating the scope of the invention.

I claim:

1. An article of manufacture comprising a container having a neck at one end thereof, said neck having an opening, a cap connected to threads on said neck, an elliptical retainer on one of said cap and neck below said threads, the minor diameter of said retainer being greater than the diameter of said cap, diametrically opposite first lugs on the inner peripheral surface of the minor diameter of the retainer, mating second lugs on one of said cap and neck for preventing the cap from being rotated relative to the neck, each first lug having a side face engageable with a side face of its mating second lug and with a cam surface extending outwardly at an acute angle thereto, the side face of each lug face lying essentially along a radius of the neck, said elliptical retainer being sufficiently flexible so that the retainer may be deformed radially inwardly at its major diameter to disengage said first and second mating lugs and permit rotation of the cap relative to the neck, and at least one rigid projection extending radially outwardly at the minor diameter on said retainer adjacent one of said first lugs on the retainer, whereby said projection appears to be the means for manipulating a separation of said lugs but is incapable of doing so.

2. An article in accordance with claim 1 wherein said neck has a bead on the outer periphery thereof, said retainer being coupled to said bead, means on said bead and retainer to prevent relative rotation between said bead and retainer, the upper edge of said retainer being above the lower edge of said cap, and the second lugs being on the outer periphery of said cap.

3. An article in accordance with claim 1 wherein said retainer is integral in one piece with the lower periphery of said cap and thinner than the walls of said cap so as to be more flexible than said cap.

4. An article in accordance with claim 1 including a medicine dropper supported by said cap, a flange on said medicine dropper, a bead on said cap engaging one surface of said flange, and the opposite surface of said flange being in contact with the end face of said neck in a zone generally opposite the zone of said bead on said cap so that the flange is clamped therebetween.

5. An article in accordance with claim 1 wherein the thickness of said projection in an axial direction on said cap is less than the thickness of said first lugs in an axial direction on said cap.

6. An article in accordance with claim 1 wherein said retainer has a pair of said projections which are diametrically disposed with each projection being juxtaposed to at least a portion of one retainer lug,

7. An article in accordance with claim 6 wherein said projections are thicker than the wall thickness of said retainer and project outwardly from the retainer for a distance of about one-fourth inch.

8. An article in accordance with claim 1 wherein said cap has an imperforate end wall sealed with respect to the open end of said neck.

9. An article in accordance with claim 6 wherein said cap has a end wall generally perpendicular to the axis of said neck, and a layer of deformable material forming a seal between said cap end wall and said neck adjacent the neck opening.

10. An article is accordance with claim 8 including a medicine dropper supported by said cap end wall, said layer of deformable material being a flange on said medicine dropper.

11. An article in accordance with claim 8 wherein said cap end wall is imperforate. 

1. An article of manufacture comprising a container having a neck at one end thereof, said neck having an opening, a cap connected to threads on said neck, an elliptical retainer on one of said cap and neck below said threads, the minor diameter of said retainer being greater than the diameter of said cap, diametrically opposite first lugs on the inner peripheral surface of the minor diameter of the retainer, mating second lugs on one of said cap and neck for preventing the cap from being rotated relative to the neck, each first lug having a side face engageable with a side face of its mating second lug and with a cam surface extending outwardly at an acute angle thereto, the side face of each lug face lying essentially along a radius of the neck, said elliptical retainer being sufficiently flexible so that the retainer may be deformed radially inwardly at its major diameter to disengage said first and second mating lugs and permit rotation of the cap relative to the neck, and at least one rigid projection Extending radially outwardly at the minor diameter on said retainer adjacent one of said first lugs on the retainer, whereby said projection appears to be the means for manipulating a separation of said lugs but is incapable of doing so.
 2. An article in accordance with claim 1 wherein said neck has a bead on the outer periphery thereof, said retainer being coupled to said bead, means on said bead and retainer to prevent relative rotation between said bead and retainer, the upper edge of said retainer being above the lower edge of said cap, and the second lugs being on the outer periphery of said cap.
 3. An article in accordance with claim 1 wherein said retainer is integral in one piece with the lower periphery of said cap and thinner than the walls of said cap so as to be more flexible than said cap.
 4. An article in accordance with claim 1 including a medicine dropper supported by said cap, a flange on said medicine dropper, a bead on said cap engaging one surface of said flange, and the opposite surface of said flange being in contact with the end face of said neck in a zone generally opposite the zone of said bead on said cap so that the flange is clamped therebetween.
 5. An article in accordance with claim 1 wherein the thickness of said projection in an axial direction on said cap is less than the thickness of said first lugs in an axial direction on said cap.
 6. An article in accordance with claim 1 wherein said retainer has a pair of said projections which are diametrically disposed with each projection being juxtaposed to at least a portion of one retainer lug.
 7. An article in accordance with claim 6 wherein said projections are thicker than the wall thickness of said retainer and project outwardly from the retainer for a distance of about one-fourth inch.
 8. An article in accordance with claim 1 wherein said cap has an imperforate end wall sealed with respect to the open end of said neck.
 9. An article in accordance with claim 6 wherein said cap has a end wall generally perpendicular to the axis of said neck, and a layer of deformable material forming a seal between said cap end wall and said neck adjacent the neck opening.
 10. An article is accordance with claim 8 including a medicine dropper supported by said cap end wall, said layer of deformable material being a flange on said medicine dropper.
 11. An article in accordance with claim 8 wherein said cap end wall is imperforate. 